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The White House Stupidly Goes To War With Car Web Site Edmunds.com »
Posted By pc25 1 month, 1 week ago in Political News
It is an odd, and we'd say regrettable, pattern of this White House that it lets itself get dragged down into fights with specific media outlets.
George W. Bush experienced acrimony with the New York Times, but for the most part, other than general frustrations of a conservative administration, complaining about a liberal media, it was no big deal.
But in addition to Fox News, now The White House is going after highly-respected and influential car site Edmunds.com.
Now the administration makes a snarky blog post, slamming the site over its Cash-For-Clunkers analysis.
Read Full Story at businessinsider.com »
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pc251 month, 1 week ago
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Edmunds responds
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SANTA MONICA, Calif. — October 29, 2009 — Today the Department of Transportation and White House chose to respond to an analysis Edmunds.com released Wednesday that looked at auto sales this year and what sales volumes would have been had the popular Cash for Clunkers program never existed.
At issue is one point of the analysis showing the taxpayer cost for every incremental vehicle sold was $24,000. To be clear, Edmunds.com is not disputing the government's statements regarding total voucher applications, vehicles sold or voucher values. The key question is how many of these sales would have occurred anyway.
Apparently, the $24,000 figure caught many by surprise. It shouldn't have. The truth is that consumer incentive programs are always hugely expensive when calculated by incremental sales — always in the tens of thousands of dollars. Cash for Clunkers was no exception.
The White House claims that our analysis was based on car sales on Mars and that on Earth, the marketplace is connected. We agree the marketplace is connected. In fact, that is exactly the basis of our analysis.
It is also claimed we missed the possibility that Cash for Clunkers generated excitement and consumers bought vehicles even if they didn't qualify for the program -- a claim that has been widely supported by anecdote but by little analysis. It does, after all, seem a bit odd that masses of consumers would elect to buy a vehicle because of a program for which they don't qualify -- doubly so when you add in the fact that prices shot up during Cash for Clunkers, creating a disincentive to buy.
Finally, the White House claims that the increase in fourth-quarter production reported by the car manufacturers can be attributed to Cash for Clunkers. But here is a better reason: the economy is recovering accompanied by improved car sales. No manufacturer increases production -- a decision with long-term consequences -- based on the 30-day sales blip triggered by an event like Cash for Clunkers.
With all respect to the White House, Edmunds.com thinks that instead of shooting the messenger, government officials should take heart from the core message of the analysis: the fundamentals of the auto marketplace are improving faster than the current sales numbers suggest.
http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/press/159486/art...-
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icono11 month, 1 week ago
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"The truth is that consumer incentive programs are always hugely expensive when calculated by incremental sales — always in the tens of thousands of dollars. Cash for Clunkers was no exception."
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True.
In a way the article is kind of harmless not unless you don't want people to know the real economics, ie costs, behind such programs. Which would raise the question of 'why' don't they want people to know. I mean The 0 Govt bails out Wall St practically ignoring the critisim of such an endeavour and gives themselves a big pat on the back yet they go ballistic over this. WTF!!!!!!!!! -
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Sabretooth1 month, 1 week ago
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Holy cow, stop the presses, Pc posts another ground breaking story, this could really break the back of the Obama admin, time to call for IMPEACHMENT!!!
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You guys are too funny, thanks for making my day yet again my friends. I want you to know nothing is too insignificant for you to post about, we have a long, cold winter up here and we could surely use the laughs, thanks again.
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Wolfie20071 month, 1 week ago
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What is the problem with these people at the White House they act like babies. Everyone with half a brain now knows cash for clunkers was a total and ridiculous fiasco. The lost the war they started with Fox and I will bet they aren't going to win on this either.
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frctm51 month, 1 week ago
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I don't know but it seems to me that whining about the administration defending its record kind of amounts to being a crybaby in the extreme. What about the constant complaints by the right about the mainstream media having a left wing bias? If complaining about misrepresentation in the media makes one a whiner, you guys got the market cornered on that one. By the assertion of this argument, you're the biggest crybabbies of them all.
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stephen-johnson1 month, 1 week ago
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The stock markets have sided with Edmunds - they took back the gains that they made yesterday in the wake of the bogus 3.5% increase in the 3Q GDP, and then some.
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Look for the NYSE to be next on the Team Obama hit parade.-
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tchef1 month, 1 week ago
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I've been watching the stock market everyday since I started investing in March. One thing I can tell you from my observation is that actions of the market seem to go completely contrary to common sense. It's like a flock of birds, first flying in one direction then in another. And by the way, I have tripled my money since I got in.
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frctm51 month, 1 week ago
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You mean the administration defended itself from misleading claims in the press? Of course Bush never defended the decisions of his administration to invade Iraq, condone torture, abuse executive power. Give me a break, what planet have you been hanging out on for the last eight years? This piece is the most laughable by far. What we are seeing is a democratic administration that is willing to counter the propaganda mill of the right and its about time. Get used to it. Its not going to stop. Since most of the rights claims are baseless and bogus, its not hard to do. Their just not used to being called out to defend their tripe. This is why they are so adamantly opposed to the fairness doctrine because most right wing propaganda channels are one sided misrepresentations of the truth and their ideas would not bear up well against reality. Its pretty fundamental. If you have faith in the soundness of your arguments, you would not only have no fear of debate but would welcome it. The only people who would fear a debate are those who know they are lying or are not certain of their ideas.
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BBcamaro1 month, 1 week ago
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So your telling us because Bush did it that it is O.K. for Obama to do it. Wait a minute didn't Obama campaign on change? Sorry I am not seeing it, all I am seeing is business as usual in the bubble. Maybe thats why I have been seeing more and more bumper stickers saying "suffering from voters remorse" in my area.
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"What we are seeing is a democratic administration that is willing to counter the propaganda mill of the right and its about time."
No what you are seeing is an administration that is trying to divert attention from the inability of a Commander in Chief from making a war time decision for fear of alienating his base. -
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pc251 month, 1 week ago
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Bush never defended his decision to go into Iraq
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I have new for you, he didn't have to the Dems did it for hom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwqh4wQPoQk
of course that was before it was politically expedient to politicize a war in the pitifull, shamefull attempt to regain power. I guess all of you have conveniently forgotten this little gem. You have also forgotten the the removal of Saddam Hussein from power was one of the official policies of the Clinton Administration. See Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998
gee Pelosi saying there is no doubt that Saddam has WMDs No spine, no guts, always waivering always flip flopping Democratic vermin.
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aceofspades11 month, 1 week ago
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I have noticed a trend lately on threads posted by compulsive Obama haters -- that's haters, not critics - like pc25 -- they are mostly responded to by similar thinking distorted reactionaries and less & less response from progressive thinkers - it is not because of a lack of rebuttal argument, but rather an abundance of good sense
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billcorno1 month, 1 week ago
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The article quoted Deutsche Bank, saying they thought it didn't work. Well, the Germans are mad because Germany came up with the idea first! It was a big success in Germany! But when the U.S. did it, it kind of stole their game, so to speak.
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I can't see where selling more cars to anyone, where they got gas-guzzlers off the road and helped create a demand was a bad thing.
Leave it to the Obama-detractors to spin it to the Right...
p.s. Vote Democrat in 2010 - ranting dogmatists don't need to lead this country (again). -
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ICEMAN771 month, 1 week ago
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of course its stupid everything coming out of the white house is like amature hour like when hey sent hillary to russia last month to meet with putnum the only problem potnum wasnt even in russsia he was in china signing a 34 billion dollar deal siemans in china signing a 22 billion dollar deal nigeria in china signing a 39 billion dollar energy bill france in china signing a 24 billion dollar deal just in the last 2 weeks how many deals have the amatures at the white house done in 10 months with any country 0 our prez would rather be on tv competing with i love lucy for the most times on tv please tell him he dosnt get residules for reruns please
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